Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad (RFP) was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia to Washington DC, operating from 1836 to 1991. It was chartered on 25 February 1834 to run from Richmond north via Fredericksburg to the Potomac River, and it opened to Hazel Run in 1836, Fredericksburg in 1837, and Aquia Creek in 1842. It was badly damaged during the American Civil War, and a portion of the railroad was fought over by the Union and Confederate forces at the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, with the Union breaking through to the Confederate strongpoint at Prospect Hill. The RFP later became a subdivision of the CSX Transportation system, and, in December 2019, the Virginia state government purchased much of the railroad from CSX to improve commuter service to Washington.